The Analytics Opportunity

03/01/2016 |

A primer for building owners on big data and the 21st-century energy marketplace

Consumers are well familiar with the ability of online retailers like Amazon to track their preferences and purchases to enhance the buying process. Based on the analytics of their buying, they receive recommendations from the retailers. In a similar way, building owners have an opportunity to enhance their energy purchases with the analytics data provided by their facilities.

Energy and Analytics: Big Data and Building Technology Integration (355 pages, Fairmont Press, www.fairmontpress.com) details how to leverage big data analytics to manage the key issues in energy supply and demand. Author John J. McGowan presents a detailed explanation of the underlying technology that enables big data in buildings and how the technology enhances energy efficiency, onsite solar, and electricity markets. McGowan’s experience includes 14 years as CEO of an ESCO, Chairman Emeritus of the DOE’s GridWise Architecture Council, and a stint as corporate energy manager for a national retailer.

The book’s content is organized into three sections: an overview of energy analytics and related technology available now; discussion of data on the level of building systems; and a series of successful analytics case studies.